This edition will focus on fats & oils. If you have taken any of my nutrition classes, you have heard me say “The fat you eat is the fat you wear.” This phrase was coined by Dr. John McDougall and it is scientifically accurate (no big surprise!).

What about good fats vs bad fats?
If you have taken my classes you are already educated on the fact that there are no “good” fats, but if you haven’t you are now confused. I know, I know, you have heard for years that “we need SOME fat” and that has encouraged you to pour olive oil all over everything and include nuts, avocadoes, and coconut oil to your daily fare. So, what are the facts concerning fats?

Here goes…

Olive oil or any oil:
• Is concentrated fat and calories
• One tablespoon is120 cal and 14 gm of fat
• 3 tbls of ANY oil per day = 3600 extra calories every 10 days leading to a weight gain of 3 pounds each month or 36 pounds each year!
• Coconut, safflower, flax seed oil… ALL unhealthy
• Oil is NOT health food and needs to be eliminated from your diet

When you pour extra virgin first cold pressed olive oil on your salad you have turned your healthy live-giving food into an unhealthy, artery clogging, fat storing meal. If you are struggling to lose weight you may see your struggle end just my eliminating oils from your diet. Of course, it also depends on other factors like how much overall fat is in your diet, your medications, and your activity level; but oil is a definite opponent to healthy weight and healthy circulation.

Let me show you what happens to your blood when you ingest oils and high fat foods. The test tube on the right shows how fat coagulates in the blood. Just think how this affects your health! Dr. David Blankenhorn compared effects of different types of fats on the growth of atherosclerotic lesions inside the coronary arteries of people by studying the results of angiograms taken one year apart. The study showed that all 3 types of fat-saturated animal fat, monounsaturated (olive oil), and polyunsaturated (EFA)-were seen with a significant increase in new atherosclerotic lesions. Most importantly, the growth of these lesions did not stop when polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats were substituted for saturated fats.

Only by decreasing all fat intake--including poly- and monounsaturated fats--did the lesions stop growing.

Fatty foods are also linked to cancer and early death. Estrogen levels increase with a high fat diet. High estrogen levels create PMS and make menopause MISERABLE. They also increase your risk of breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancer.
For optimal health, the percentage of fat in your food needs to be no more than 15% and less than 10% if you are serious about achieving ideal weight. This means if a food has 100 calories per serving the calories from fat needs to be 15 or lower. Look at the Nutrition Facts Label and use your math. Look at the ingredients label and eliminate added oils, no matter what kind they are.

Now, you ask, how to cook without oil?! Sauté your onions and peppers and add a small amount of water when they start to stick. Only add a small amount so you don’t steam or boil them and you can continue to sauté until they are done the way you like. You will be amazed at how good they taste! Add foods with low water content, like broccoli or mushrooms, after you have some liquid in the pan from the onions and peppers.

Here are some more tips for how to stop adding fat to your foods and prepare foods without added oils:
• use water or vegetable broth for stir-fries
• leave oil out for all recipes, you won’t miss it!
• substitute applesauce, banana, soy yogurt, or tofu for baked goods and desserts
• Use fat-free substitutes for vegetable oils (I have a class on healthy substitutes) If absolutely necessary, spray lightly.
• Nuts and nut butters should be used as a condiment at most and eliminated if you want to lose weight.
• Be aware of your serving size; it’s easy to overdo it.
• No more than 1 tablespoon chopped nuts per day (5 gm of fat & 50 calories. You don’t need them daily!

The fat you eat is stored quickly and efficiently in the same chemical composition as it was in your food.

The fat you eat is the fat you wear!

Discover how to eliminate pain, the need for medications and regain your health. Contact Eileen Kopsaftis or call 518-496-1265 for a comprehensive pain/health consultation.

You deserve a long, healthy, pain-free life!

HLW Recipe of the Month: Tofu Mayo & Red Pepper Aioli

With summer fast approaching the craving for all-American favorites like macaroni/potato salad comes upon us. Summer also brings the need for lots of tasty sandwiches and you don’t want all that mayo fat! Remember, the fat you eat is the fat you wear. These delicious options will satisfy your cravings AND keep you on track this summer. If you want to try some great BBQ foods, attend the Advanced Nutrition Class in June!

Use this as a dip for raw veggies, or as a spread for crackers or sandwiches. Use it for potato or macaroni salad and be amazed at the flavor!

12 ounce package soft silken tofu

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ cup roasted red peppers (NOT packed in oil) dash sea salt

Place the tofu in a food processor or blender and process until fairly smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process until very smooth. Refrigerate at least 1 hour for flavors to blend.

*Don’t tell anyone there is no mayo in your salads. They will ask for your recipe because of the taste, then you can tell them!

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HLW Tip of the Month: You Need the Sun for Hormone D!

Yes, I said hormone, not vitamin. That’s what it is. Your body makes it from being in the sunlight. It is not meant to be eaten or supplemented. Why is everyone so afraid of the sun? You need the sun!

Your body makes vitamin D in response to sunlight. Sunlight activates a precursor, a form of cholesterol, in skin and converts it to vitamin D3. Vitamin D is stored in your liver, skin, brain, bones, and other tissues to be used as needed. The stored form of vitamin D must be converted to the active form when needed. The process starts in your liver > converted to 25-hydroxy vitamin D, continues in your kidney > converted to 1,25 dihydroxy Vitamin D (calcitriol).

The consumption of too much animal protein can cause a significant drop in 1,25 D levels by creating an acidic environment that blocks the action of the kidney enzyme that assists in converting it. High blood calcium levels can cause both a reduction in the activity of the kidney enzyme needed to convert vitamin D to its active form, and the activity of 1,25D.

Fortified foods with synthetic vitamins are found to have extremely inconsistent levels. One dairy’s vitamin-D-fortified milk showed concentrations of cholecalciferol ranging from undetectable to as high as 232,565 IU per quart. Should have been 400 IU per quart!

Institute of Medicine Report on Vitamin D: Almost 1000 studies were reviewed to determine how much calcium and vitamin D are needed and how much is too much. Concluded that most people get adequate calcium from foods and most people have adequate blood levels of vitamin D from sunlight exposure.

Sun Exposure is the Best Option: A sunscreen with SPF of 8 reduces the ability of the skin to make Vitamin D by 92.5%. Sunscreen with SPF 15 reduces it by 99%. There is a difference between Vitamin D synthesized from the sun and Vitamin D taken orally, since there are additional photoproducts made in response to sun exposure that are not in the supplemental form of Vitamin D. Just 10-15 minutes in the sun is the equivalent of taking between 15,000 and 20,000 IU’s of Vitamin D, but without the potential for toxicity. Use common sense, don’t burn!

Get some sunshine to Have LifeLong WellBeing!

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